Fintech Focus Roundup For September 19, 2020

A Carfax For Your Phone

What's The Problem: A problem in today’s ecosystem of phone buyers and sellers is the lack of transparency.

What's The Solution: Founded by PCS Wireless, one of the largest phone distributors in North America, IGWT Block solves the problem of transparency and trust in mobile phone shopping.

In the simplest way possible: IGWT is a Carfax for mobile phones.

“A big problem in today’s market is really the lack of transparency when you’re buying a device from a major marketplace like Amazon or eBay,” the company's COO said. “We combine a variety of emerging technologies -- between blockchain, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and mobile diagnostics -- to create the future of buying and selling mobile devices.”

Unpacking DeFi And The Significance Of SushiSwap

What Happened: On Sept. 9, SushiSwap, a Uniswap fork, completed a transfer of over $1 billion in liquidity from Uniswap.

Why It Matters: The hostile takeover of Uniswap liquidity is a milestone in digital finance and marks the introduction of a model that could replicate market making, borrowing, lending, and exchanging without institutional middlemen that charge exorbitant fees.

Value-Based Portfolios With Floodlight Invest

What's The Problem: A common problem with financial news and data is that, in many cases, it’s non-transparent and biased, which can complicate value-based investing decisions.

What's The Solution: Launched in 2020, Floodlight Invest is a fintech specializing in value-based investing. The company is a disruptor in the information and analytics industry, helping uncover the truths that govern how a business conducts itself.

In the simplest way possible: Floodlight helps investors align financial strategies to their values.

“We’ve adopted the hashtag #buildbackbetter as part of our brand,” co-founder Nate Wyne told Benzinga. “If we can get enough people to put their money where their values are, we will start to push companies into making this world better by force, rather than by interest.”

AdMedia's Approach To Digital Marketing

What's The Problem: With the Web 2.0 revolution, brands were able to scale their businesses and voice online, globally. In recent years, however, incumbent channels have become monopolized and plagued with rhetoric that has cut into advertiser integrity and reach.

What's The Solution: Founded in 1998, AdMedia specializes in alternative methods of brand safe advertising. The company’s proprietary technologies and holistic distribution network has helped Fortune 100 brands reach over 200 million customers in the U.S., with unmatched return on investment.

In the simplest way possible: AdMedia is a brand-safe advertising alternative to large content providers such as Google, Bing and Facebook, among others.

“The value add and the key component we have is first-party data,” founder and president Danny Bibi told Benzinga. “The idea is inbound inventory inquiries come in -- which is a little bit over 1.4 trillion daily -- and we’re able to map that to a user profile and understand the users on a specific site app or page. We line that up with the intent of that user, and then cross check that against something like a Facebook audience targeting setup or Facebook exchange partner.”

MoneyLion Adds Thematic Investing Solutions

What Happened: As part of a vision to expand the depth and breadth of its investment offering, MoneyLion introduced thematic portfolios that are reflective of the rapidly changing economic landscape.

Why It Matters: “In today’s world, people want to feel like they’re investing in something bigger, something that has the potential to change the world. Our new thematic portfolios put our member’s interests and passions first,” said Dee Choubey, MoneyLion CEO.

“We’ve built an incredible managed investment platform for our members, many of whom are first-time investors, and with the launch of thematic investing, we’re allowing our members to further personalize and strengthen their MoneyLion investment accounts based on their personal interests and preferences.”